Armada
by helium lost
Summary: If only fools fall in love, then the Avatar crew is a bunch of blibbering idiots. A collection of drabbles focusing on the various ships shown in the Comicon 2006 shipping slideshow. Next up—Zutara!
1. Two Years – Hatara

**Armada  
**. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** After seeing the clips on YouTube of the shipping panel at Comicon, I felt the sudden, strong, and insane urge to write a drabble for each of the ships mentioned. Yes, each and every one of them, no matter how much crack they're on. XD As always, any and all feedback and constructive criticism is greatly appreciated. :)!

**Ship #1  
**Hatara  
_"Two Years"_

Two years.

Haru lay on his bed, playing with a couple rocks in one hand. He'd toss them up, catch them, make them twirl around each other like some sort of dizzying vulture dance.

Two years.

He remembered the day vividly—Katara's rallying speech, the disbelief on everyone's faces... He had almost given up himself, but seeing Katara so passionate, fighting for a bunch of strangers... Something had kindled inside him; some sort of beast had broken out of its fragile cocoon, tearing out and filling him with a strange sort of energy, a strange sense of—_rebellion_.

There was a knock on his door. He quickly stopped earthbending and set down the rocks, though there was really no need to—the fire nation no longer had very much of an interest in their town—but it was still a reflex, conditioned by many years of hiding, and that continuous, gut-wrenching terror of being found.

"Haru?" said his mother, opening the door just a crack. "There's someone here to see you."

He sat up quickly. Could it be...? He shook his head—No, Katara was busy, helping the Avatar restore peace and order in war-torn nations... He had heard of their deeds through word-of-mouth; they had been helping the Fire Nation to reforge alliances, helping places destroyed by fire to rebuild... They _couldn't_ be here; they had already done their part here.

But some voice inside him continued to hope, continued to say that maybe, just _maybe_, Katara and the Avatar were passing through this area and decided to drop by...

"Who is it?" he said at last.

"A girl," his mother replied. Haru's heart lept.

_Maybe, just maybe..._

He jumped off the bed and shoved his feet into his slippers, flinging open the door, much to his mother's surprise. He took quick, long steps over to the front door—his mother still never invited anyone inside, still wary of anyone wishing to rekindle the war—and opened it quickly, face beaming.

"Kat—" he began, but his face dropped. Standing before the door wasn't Katara, but rather, Kano, who lived across town. Disbelief gave way to crushing realization. His arm, which had been gripping the door, relaxed and fell to his side again as he looked at her face, then lowered his eyes to the ground. "Oh, hi, Kano," he said, voice dulled.

Kano smiled gently. "Haru, there's a festival in town this weekend, as I'm sure you know," she said. "And I was wondering—well—" She blushed, pausing as she diverted her eyes to a spot on the ground. "Would—would you like to go with me?"

Haru frowned, wracking his brain for a believable excuse, one that he hadn't used yet. He didn't want to hurt her feelings—he hated seeing girls sad—but, all the same...

"...Sorry, but I'm busy this weekend," he said at last, looking back up at her. Kano's smile dropped.

"Oh, I see..." she said softly. "Earthbending again?"

Haru nodded, snatching up the excuse. "I've been having difficulty with a particular stance, and I need to figure out how to do it properly." Not a _complete_ lie, really—out of all the earthbending maneuvers, there was _bound_ to be one that he'd have difficulty with. He'd find it soon enough.

Kano nodded. "I see... well..." She looked up. "Don't hesitate to tell me if you work it out and have time, hmm?" She smiled again, but her eyes still held a tint of sadness. Haru nodded.

"I will."

He closed the door and slowly walked back to his room.

_That_ had been a complete lie.

Even if he found and mastered a new earthbending move and had time left over, he wouldn't pay a visit to her. He would, as always, be in that spot where he first saw Katara, heart thumping as he looked into her blue eyes, before dropping the boulder and dashing off...

Besides, he would've only made the two of them more unhappy if he had gone with her.

It had, after all, been two years since he'd last been happy with a girl...

**

* * *

**

**Author's Notes:** Hmm, I dunno... Could've been longer, I think, but I didn't exactly want my original premise of a 500-word drabble to turn into some heaping Goliath of a fic XD So, I hope you liked it, and remember, feedback is always, always welcome ;)! Just no bashing of pairings, please.


	2. Negotiations – Jetzula

**Armada  
**. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I gave in to the temptation. Somewhere along the way, I went, "SCREW ORDER! I'm going to write the ships in whatever order I _feel_ like writing them!" And then I bounced straight over to Jetzula, one of my OTPs. XD So here it is. Jetzula FTW!

**Ship #2  
**Jetzula

_"Negotiations"_

Jet massaged his arms, trying to bring some feeling back into them. It had taken the boys almost three hours to chip him out of the ice, during which his arms had gone numb from both the cold and the immobilization. He cursed Katara, spitting bitterly onto the wooden floor. Somewhere along the way, as he toyed with her feelings, he felt himself being pulled into her naive, innocent charm, her breathless wonder and childlike curiosity.

And he hated her for it.

He began to feel a warm tingling in his arm, which soon turned into a fiery pain, hundreds and thousands of little needles stabbing into his arms, over and over again. He grit his teeth and tipped his head back to look at the ceiling, waiting for the wave after wave of pain to stop, the wave after wave of _her_ and the memory of her to stop, her fury, her raw power, the way she quickly and all-too-easily turned the tables and pinned him up, helpless, unable to do anything but watch as she undid his plan right before his eyes.

He felt the pain begin to ebb away, fading until it was only a few pricks here and there, and then nothing. He stretched his arms, bringing them over his head, then behind his back as a slow, lazy smirk began to spread over his face.

Since _she_ had killed his plans and hopes... he'd do the same to her. No, not the Avatar—it would be far too difficult to capture him, never mind taking him down and killing him. No, he'd settle for someone a bit closer to her heart, the one who had been persistently opening her stubborn eyes to him.

Her brother.

Sokka, was it? That idiot of a boy who fancied himself a warrior. He'd find them, then ambush them while they slept. He'd take Katara and Sokka, leaving the Avatar sleeping, blissfully unaware that his friends were being carted away under his very nose. Then, he'd pin Katara to a tree, the same way she had pinned him to a tree, and kill Sokka before her eyes. Naturally, they'd have to be sure that she was away from any source of water, or else they'd be in big trouble.

Jet's smirk widened as he stood.

"Sounds like a plan," he said softly to himself.

**

* * *

**

Azula smoothed out the hair in her face, making sure that each and every strand was perfectly in place. They had been traveling for the whole day, following the Avatar's trails. It would most likely be a while before they found him; the places that they visited told her that the Avatar had already gone, weeks ago.

They entered a forest, the lizards plodding easily over the fallen logs and the underbrush. Azula carefully and gracefully avoided the low-hanging branches as Ty Lee folded herself into a low, pretzel-like shape. Azula raised an eyebrow. No matter how many times Ty Lee did that, she still found herself slightly disturbed by the way she made that surely uncomfortable position look entirely enjoyable. Meanwhile, Mai simply ducked and avoided the branches, bored look forever on her face.

A while later, they reached a clearing. Azula steered her lizard to a stop; Ty Lee and Mai followed suit. Azula took a look around, on the lookout for any sign of movement. Seeing none, she pulled on her lizard's reigns, but before it could take a step, something dropped down from the branches above and landed lightly next to her. She heard two more thumps behind her before she felt the cool tip of a blade a millimeter away from her throat.

"Who are you, and why are you here?" said the person wielding the blade, a boy with unruly hair, looking to be around seventeen years old, chewing the end of a haystalk, dressed in mismatched armor.

Azula raised an eyebrow, then said cooly, "And who are _you_? A Freedom Fighter?"

The boy jabbed the blade at her, and she dodged it easily. "Yes. Name's Jet. Now answer my questions."

Azula sighed. She knew that there were probably many more of them a bit further ahead; being a Fire Nation princess in the midst of Freedom Fighter territory would make things rather difficult. She could defend herself with her firebending, but things could still turn risky if she found herself surrounded on all sides.

"I'm looking for the Avatar," she said. "He's traveling with a girl and a boy, both from a tribe of Waterbenders. Have they been through here lately?"

Jet spat onto the ground beside him. Azula wrinkled her nose. "Yes, they have," he said bitterly. "What's it to you?"

"I intend to capture and destroy him," she said casually, as if talking about the weather. She had noticed the way his eyes narrowed when she mentioned the girl, and smirked. "And if that means killing his companions, too, then so be it."

He lowered his blade slightly and frowned, eyes looking at the lizard, then travelling up to take in Azula's attire, and her hair clip. "And you're from the Fire Nation, aren't you?"

Azula sighed again, knowing that any lie she told would be inadequate. "Yes."

He jabbed his blade at her again, but in an instant, she lept off the lizard and was behind him, pinning his arm behind him. She saw similar motions out of the corner of her eye and knew that Ty Lee and probably immobilized her captor, and that Mai had probably stunned hers with a dart.

"We do not welcome the Fire Nation here," he hissed. Azula smirked, then stood on her tiptoes.

"I know," she murmured in his ear, smirking as she noticed the shiver that passed through him. "But we have a common goal here, don't we? Work together, and neither of us can lose. I'll get the Avatar, and you'll get the girl and boy. Sound fair?"

The boy struggled against her, but she held him fast.

"You know nothing," he hissed bitterly, but she laughed.

"Oh, but I _do_ know," she said, knowing all too well that she didn't. But these kinds of guys were easy to read, and their stories were all the same. "Ditched you, didn't she?"

He struggled harder against her, but she only tightened her grip.

"Worse," he said. "Ruined my plans, _then_ ditched me."

"Tsk, tsk," Azula said. "That's too bad. Were they good plans?"

"The best," he spat. "Kill off some Fire Nation soldiers by destroying the Earth Kingdom village that they were staying in. But _she_ wouldn't hear it; _she_ said that that was cruel, that there were innocent people down there... but _I_ say that some things just have to be sacrificed."

Azula raised an eyebrow. "True, true," she said. "A truly ingenius plan. It's a shame that she stopped it."

Jet turned to look at her, surprised. Azula laughed softly.

"Oh, I know what you're thinking," she said. "'But you're from the Fire Nation; shouldn't you be _against_ my plans?'" Jet raised his eyebrows even more, telling Azula that she was right. She smirked. "But, you see," she continued, "some of those soldiers are real _idiots_, and I would've been _glad_ to see them gone."

Jet opened and closed his mouth a couple times, then narrowed his eyes and said, "And why should I trust _you_?"

Azula smiled knowingly, then released her grip on him and stepped back. "Simple. Come at me with all you've got, and I promise that I won't firebend, move, or do anything to defend myself from you."

Jet spat again.

"All right."

He lunged at her, thrusting his blade toward her throat. Azula stood, unflinching, and smiled wider when he stopped, the blade again millimeters from her throat.

"I trust you," she said softly as he stood before her, blade held steady, but chest heaving. Not from exhaustion, she knew, but from the mental battle that was being waged in his mind. "Now, won't you trust me?"

Jet said nothing.

Azula stepped up to him and placed a hand on his shoulder. He flinched. She stood again on her tip-toes, then pressed her forehead against his, her lips too close to his for his comfort.

"Think of all you'll be getting back..." she murmured, her other hand trailing down his arm. He shivered again, then tried to pull back, but the hand on his shoulder tightened, her nails digging into the cloth and pressing against his flesh. She leaned in closer, their noses touching. "Honor... closure... _revenge_."

She brought her lips closer to his, noticing with smug satisfaction the blush that was tinging his cheeks. When their lips were about to meet, she drew back quickly and pushed him away; he stumbled and was about to fall, but quickly regained his balance. Azula looked back at Ty Lee and Mai.

"Come on, girls," she said, beckoning them with her hand, smirking. "We have some things to discuss."

**

* * *

Author's Notes:** Yes! I finally managed to write some Jetzula that fits into the canon universe. XD My other attempts relied on A/U (they'll be there later in _The Great Tea Cup_, you'll see), so I'm very satisfied with the way this one came out, though I think the last line could've been stronger. Agree? Disagree? Well, as always, any and all feedback is greatly appreciated (especially constructive criticism), so don't hesitate to press that little button and drop a review. ;D 

8/2/2006


	3. Marks from a Fan – Foamuki

**Armada**  
. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I was struck with the urge to write at about 1AM (weird, I know), so I was looking at my list of ships for this project, and my eyes fell on Foamuki. Writing the CFG is an interesting task, mainly because he has so little screen time, so we don't get to see much of a personality—so I've developed one for him; I rather like it, and I'm thinking that I'll keep him this way for future fics with him (like Foamtara and Foamzula, haha).

That said, please enjoy, and leave feedback and concrit, eh? ;D

**Ship #3**  
Foamuki  
"_Marks from a Fan"_

He was sweeter than she could have ever imagined.

They met on Kyoshi Day. Suki and the other warriors had put on a performance with various maneuvers and moves that they'd learned, and he'd approached her afterward, shyly as he traced his foot through the dirt, telling her that she was magnificent. She didn't want to take any notice of him, because he was the village idiot, the one no one wanted to associate with.

But something about the way he had a hand behind his head, a pink blush unfurling across his face like a tapestry being unrolled across the floor… Well, there was no way that she could've ignored him.

So, more out of pity than anything else, she'd accompanied him for the rest of Kyoshi Day, attending all the festivities with him. Luckily, the crowd was large, and he kept his distance; a quick glance would've brought on only the assumption that he was stalking her.

He was no good at the games; tossing the ball at the floating dishes yielded nothing, and he couldn't aim at the bottles even if his life depended on it. After watching this sad display of ineptitude for too long, Suki sighed—annoyed, yet amused at the same time—and told him to hold her fans as she skillfully took out all three bottles using a single ball.

She gave the fish she won to him, telling her that she had no place to keep it, nor any time to take care of it; he promised that he'd do both.

It was too crowded to watch the fireworks from the street, so they'd hiked up a small hill and sat at the edge of the forest, the soft grass tickling her hands as she leaned back on them, appreciating the full view of the sky that she got from here. Sure, she told everyone that anything a boy could do, she could do better—and, being Suki, she always kept her word—but that didn't stop her from enjoying girly things like stargazing.

She was surprised to find his hand over hers, casually, without a single hesitation or thought, as he leaned over and pointed at the stars, telling her about them. He told her about the constellations, the stories behind them, and took her hand in his, letting her trace their outlines. Then, he pointed out stars so far away and faint that she had to squint to see them, telling her with surprising knowledge and detail about them, too.

His father had been a sailor, he explained, and his father had taken him on quite a few voyages, and had taught him all these things. Suki nodded, looking at his eager and almost childish face, beaming at her—but that smile dropped almost immediately and was replaced by an expression of immeasurable sadness, of grief that he could never hide.

She asked him what was wrong, and he replied that nothing was wrong… but she insisted, and he turned to her and told her, pain in his warm brown eyes, that his father had died while he was sailing a trade route; the Fire Nation had destroyed his ship, mistaking it to be an enemy ship.

They never apologized.

Suki suddenly felt an irrepressible pity for him, looking at his downcast face as the cool night breeze brushed the strands of face across his eyes, and saw the tears welling up in his eyes. She was one who believed that boys never cried, and she found the situation awkward as she patted him on the shoulder, calmly murmuring to him that it was okay, that it was all right, that the Fire Nation would be defeated soon and that the war would end soon—that she promised, and Suki always keeps her promises.

He wiped his eyes, then smiled up at her. His smile was warm, and the change was startling, but she smiled back, glad, for some strange reason, that he was back to his usual spirits.

He thanked her, then, without warning, leaned in and kissed her. Suki was surprised, but what surprised her more was how her body acted of its own volition and returned the kiss. It was an awkward kiss, their noses bumping, but it was still sweet, and it was her first. They continued, lips lighting falling against each other like butterfly wings, as the first of the fireworks exploded overhead.

He lifted his hand from the place where it had been supporting his weight to put it on her waist, and at that instant, the two of them fell as he lost his balance, breaking the kiss. Suki's helmet had been knocked off, but she was too breathless to notice; he apologized profusely and picked it up, handing it back to her, a strong red blush lighting up his entire face, and Suki giggled, both at the bewildered expression on his face, and the fact that he had lipstick all over his lips.

They spent the rest of the night watching the fireworks together, silent.

The next day, Suki went into the training dojo to find all her friends giggling behind their hands when they saw her. Puzzled, she gave the order to begin training, but hardly five minutes had passed before one of the girls collapsed into a fit of giggles, and Suki had to call off the maneuver to ask her what was wrong.

It was nothing, she said between giggles, nothing at all—except that she had seen Suki kissing the crazy foaming guy the night before. The other girls then erupted into giggles and laughter, some of them collapsing to their knees, clutching their stomachs. Suki stood motionless for a moment, stunned, before she blushed, but it was hidden underneath her makeup.

She stomped her foot on the ground and told them to shut up and get on with the training, fury leaking from her every pore. The girls, recognizing Suki's fiery temper, quickly got back to their feet, and the rest of the training session went by without much incident. When it was over, the girls waved good-bye to Suki, though some of them still began to giggle anew.

Suki sighed and left behind them, securely closing the dojo's door. When she turned, she came face-to-face with him, the beaming expression on his face, a trace of foam left at the corner of his mouth. Suki glanced at him quickly before averting her gaze and painfully looking forward, walking away from him, trying not to imagine the crushed expression on his face.

They parted after that, the only interaction between them being the occasional 'hello' or maybe a 'sorry' if they bumped into each other, Suki averting her gaze every time. And he would always sigh as he walked away, shoulders slumped.

But once he got home, he would smile again as he watched the fish swim around in its bowl, because he noticed that everyone who made fun of him behind his back—he could still hear them, even when they whispered—soon had bruises all over them, and long, thin marks on their cheeks that looked suspiciously like marks from a fan.

**------------------------------**

**Author's Notes:** Seeing how I wrote this in half an hour at an ungodly time of morning, I've probably made billions of errors, so feel free to point them out ;)


	4. What is this feeling…? – Foamzula

**Armada**  
. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I've been having something of a block for the past few weeks, but I had another sudden urge to write. As I was looking at my list of ships, I was absolutely drawn to this one, and sat down and wrote it in a matter of about half an hour. That said, enjoy. :D

**Ship #4**  
Foamzula  
"_What is this feeling…?"_

Her boots ground into the dirt of the small, Earth Kingdom island. With her hands clasped behind her back and a small, sardonic smirk on her face, she approached who she assumed to be the head of the sorry place, who was trembling visibly, despite his attempts to hide it.

"I'm looking for the Avatar," she said, plainly and simply. Ty Lee and Mai followed soon behind her, Ty Lee examining the houses and people with great interest as Mai yawned, daintily covering her mouth with an air of assumed superiority.

"He's not here," the old man said, eyes darting up to look at her flame-shaped hair clip and her military uniform.

Azula rolled her eyes and opened her mouth to say something else, but she was cut off by a loud shriek. In a second, her cold and complacent composure shattered as she started, bewildered. That shriek was… it wasn't human; that was all she could say about it. It was the sound of a monster, an enormous, angry being… She quickly glanced behind her, but the sparkling blue water before Kyoshi Island was placid; the Unagi was nowhere in sight. Puzzled, she looked back to the crowd before her and recoiled, furrowing her brow with disgust, as the repugnant creature emerged.

"Avatar?" shrieked the creature. "You're looking for the Avatar?"

Azula could hardly believe that the source of the noise was from this little Earth Kingdom peasant, foam spilling over from his mouth as he flailed around, falling to the ground. She parted her lips, as if to say something, but instead made an abrupt about-face and motioned to Ty Lee and Mai to follow her. Ty Lee turned and waved at the villagers, a smile on her face, as Mai straightened out her sleeves and followed, head held high.

No sooner had they taken two steps, though, than had Azula felt a strange weight dragging down the back of her shirt. She turned her head slowly, knowing what she was going to see—and not liking it one bit. Clinging to the back of her robes was that foaming kid, a bright, sparkling plea in his eyes.

"Take me with you!" he choked out through his mouth of foam. Bits of foam sprayed up into the air and landed on Azula's face. She winced and wiped them off.

"Get off," she hissed, but he clung, resolute, his knuckles white. She dared not mention the Avatar—or, really, anything else beginning with the same sound—for fear that he'd throw himself into an orgasmic frenzy and slather himself over her, pleading to be taken with her in her quest to find the Avatar.

He shook his head, babbling unrecognizable words as an awkward feeling began to rise in the pit of Azula's stomach. It was a strange, unfamiliar feeling, welling up and thickening her throat as she stood stock still, Ty Lee and Mai watching with a sort of satisfied, hidden amusement.

After what seemed like an eternity, Azula recognized the feeling: it was fear. Total and utter fear, the kind she had once experienced as a child when she realized that Zuko had beaten her at cooking (for, no matter how hard she tried, she couldn't cup those bowls on top of each other as quickly, easily, and fluidly as he). She made a couple of strange, twitching movements, then let out a frustrated scream and shot a jet of blue fire at the Earth Kingdom peasant, who, defying the laws of the world and most likely the universe, as well, managed to avoid it. Screaming, Azula shot jet after jet of flame at the peasant, who, by some amazing feat, avoided all of them.

A few minutes later, Azula was panting, exhausted, as the peasant continued to cling to her shirt, still babbling. This mounting fear was beginning to take its toll; she was breaking out in a cold sweat, her hair plastered all over her face, her dignified appearance shattered. She could hear the chortles that the rest of the village vainly tried to hide, and, had she not been so damn _tired_, she would've obliterated the village right then and there.

Suddenly, the crowd parted as a girl clad heavily in both armor and makeup made her way to the front, two golden fans closed and held in her left hand. She paid no attention to Azula—not a single quake of fear, nor even a respectful bow—and bent down, touching with her free hand the foaming peasant's shoulder. He immediately looked up at her, and she smiled, gently but sternly.

"I think you should let go," she said softly, but urgently. The foaming peasant freed one hand and pointed to himself, then jabbed at Azula, desperate babbles falling from his mouth, words that sounded like "Me—her—_Avatar—_finding him—_me_—_AVATAR!_" She could also swear that she heard a word that sounded suspiciously like "copulation", but she decided to ignore it, believing it to be just another random mash of syllables coming from his mouth.

"Yes, sweetie," she said in a falsely sweet voice, "but I don't think the Fire Nation princess _likes_ having you stretch out her clothes, which must have cost more than it cost to build this village." She smiled at Azula, who was now trembling with rage, both from fury at being referred to in such a condescending, patronizing voice, and from jealousy at this girl's utter _skill_ with that fake, sweet voice, a skill that Azula knew she would never be able to match.

"But… the _Avatar_!" yelped the peasant, and the girl looked back down at him, nodding.

"Yes, yes, the Avatar… Come on now, do you think that she'll _really_ be able to find him?" said the girl sweetly as Azula quaked with even more fury, her hands balled into tight fists. "We have a better chance of getting to see him once Sokka comes back. Now let go of the nice lady's clothes, and I'll let you watch us train today." With that, the girl whipped open her fan and the peasant immediately let go of Azula's clothes, reaching out at the fan and shrieking, "Shiny! _Shiny!_"

Azula relaxed visibly as the girl looked at her apologetically, a sardonic smile on her face.

"I'm sorry about that," she said scathingly. "It's just that he doesn't know royalty nor manners." She bowed down to Azula. "I am just _so_ honored to have been able to help the Fire Princess escape from such a tough, sticky situation."

With that, she turned and walked away, the foaming peasant following close at her heels, tugging at her fans. Acknowledging and bitterly accepting defeat, Azula spat onto the dirt ground and walked as calmly and quickly as she could toward the awaiting boat.

As the boat sailed away, Ty Lee remarked casually, "That boy was kind of cute."

She was rewarded with a sharp, quick slap to the face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** I'm sorry D: I really, _really_ tried to make some sort of romantic spark between them, but I was just totally and utterly unable to. It just wouldn't show up. Nonetheless, I still enjoyed writing the dynamics between them… sigh. Well, that said, you know the drill: feedback and concrit are both greatly appreciated and will make me happy. :D 


	5. You're not a ninja, dammit! – Bluezula

**Armada  
**. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I tried to make this serious.

It didn't work.

**Ship #5  
**Bluezula  
_"You're not a ninja, dammit!"  
_

This wasn't supposed to happen.

Azula wrinkled her nose delicately, looking out the window and watching as the rain drenched the village.

No, this was _never _supposed to happen.

And she was most _definitely_ displeased.

She had heard of him, of course—a silly vigilante, a wishful, hopeful freedom fighter. Just another bump on the road. The infamous Blue Spirit, or so they claimed—prowling the night, lurking in the shadows, rescuing the Avatar from the clutches of evil and delivering him to liberation. The villagers hailed them as a savior, almost a god.

She, meanwhile, wanted to crush him and burn him until he was just a pile of ash.

And yet…

She punched the wall in frustration.

No, this was _definitely_ not supposed to happen.

* * *

Midnight found her lurking in the corner, under the eaves. The Avatar was being kept here; he had been too easy to capture—ambush the water tribe girl he so adored and make him follow them for her. He was gullible, naïve, simple-minded, and altogether stupid, incapable of handling himself, nevermind the world (not quite unlike her dear brother). 

Azula crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. The rain was beginning to come down in heavier sheets, covering everything in a glossy sheen of water. She sighed and looked at her fingernails, picking at the dirt that had wormed its way underneath them. The light _click-click_ resounded in the air for only a moment before it was muffled and drowned out by the steady _pitter-patter_ of the rain falling onto the tiled roof.

Azula jerked her head up suddenly. She could have sworn she heard a light footstep, the sound of someone trying to conceal their presence (and failing). And she could have sworn that she saw that shadow flicker, change for an instant. She narrowed her eyes and concentrated on the spot, perking up her ears and heightening her senses.

He was here.

She straightened up and readied herself, not taking an offensive stance yet—if he was as good as they said he was, he'd notice and get suspicious. Her breath quickened as she felt the heat rise to her cheeks—and mentally slapped herself.

Dammit, this was _not_ supposed to happen!

He stepped out of the shadows, almost too quickly for her to notice. Good—she could still track him. A god? An amazing being? Hardly.

She dashed out and pinned him against the wall before he noticed. His head thudded dully against the brick wall. The heat was still flooding her cheeks, and she was beginning to feel another blossom of heat unfurling itself lower in her body…

"So, you think you're so great, don't you?" she hissed, hand tight around his throat—not enough to choke him, but enough to cause discomfort (lots of it). "You think you're this great ninja, this 'savior of the people', this 'liberator'. And you think you can get away with it, do you?" She pounded his head against the wall again. "Listen—anyone who tries to go against me will have hell to pay."

Her breathing was heavy as she bit her lip. She was losing her cool, and she knew it. Her body, acting of its own volition, seemed to have pressed itself closer to his body than was necessary. Sure, invading one's personal space was a guaranteed way to intimidate, but… this was a bit much. And he seemed to think so, too, judging by the way he was squirming ( delightfully, she thought, then mentally slapped herself again).

Her hand wandered up and rested lightly against his chest, feeling the muscle beneath the fabric. This guy—according to the swooning women in the village, he could effortlessly leap across chasms in excess of twenty, thirty feet wide; he could cling to the ceiling for hours on end like some disgusting fly; he could dash away and disappear before you could even breathe out a surprised "What?". And it was no wonder, she thought as she let her hand wander; he definitely worked out and made sure he could.

Hell, if he weren't being so insolent, she'd be hunting him down to force him into marriage.

She heard a noise escape from behind his mask, almost a squeak, and furrowed her brow. This guy—one second he was a death-defying ninja-savior; the next minute, he was a trapped mouse writhing against the wall.

Who the hell _was_ he?

Her hand wandered for a moment across his chest before reaching up to touch his mask. Her body was up completely against his now, forcing him against the wall, her breasts pressed against his chest. A tremor ran through her parted lips as strange shivers ran up her spine.

She hated to admit it, but dammit, this guy was hot. The mystique, the enigmatic air, the heroic flair—yeah, it was annoying, but he definitely knew how to pull it off. She had to applaud him for _that_, at least, even if it was irritating.

Her hand found itself at the edge of the mask, prying at it. He was beginning to thrash under her and try to push her away, but she kneed him in the gut and squeezed his throat tighter, subduing him. She worked her fingers under the mask, then pulled it off in a single, swift movement.

The sound of the rain echoing in her ears had never been so loud.

Her mouth dropped open, and she delivered a hard roundhouse kick straight into the "Blue Spirit"'s gut.

"What the _fuck_ are you doing, Zuko?" she screamed, face livid.

Zuko got up shakily. "I could ask the same for you! Dammit, I don't like to be felt up, you know!"

The nagging thought that she had almost tried to steal a kiss from _Zuko_ was beginning to sicken her. She stood shakily, then began throwing bolts of lightning at Zuko.

"You've been stealing the Avatar from under _my_ nose and _Father's_ nose!" she screamed.

"_You_ tried to rape me!" Zuko retorted, throwing back his own orange fire.

Azula ground her teeth and let out another frustrated scream. "Shut up! _Shut up!_ You're not a ninja, dammit, and stop trying to pretend you are!"

It goes without saying that Aang was very lonely that night, waiting for his savior that never came.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Love it or hate it, just give me some feedback. XD 

1/9/2007


	6. Double, Double, Toil & Trouble – Lorohli

**Armada  
**. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I'm in a real writing mood lately, it seems. :D Anyway, this was written for challenge #77, Three in a Bed, at theavatar100. I thought I might kill two birds with one stone; only trouble is, this one is actually going to be a drabble, not a ficlet. Sigh. :(

And yeah... The title's _so_ original.

**Ship #6  
**Lorohli  
_"Double, Double, Toil and Trouble"  
_

Iroh was on his deathbed. Fire Lord Zuko, naturally, was devastated—this was the man who had stayed by his side, through thick and thin, who had provided sage advice to guide him every step of his life. 

Of course, it's hard to evade death at 124 years of age.

Iroh sighed and unsteadily sat up. The mattress springs of the enormous bed groaned beneath him as he gratefully accepted the cup of tea that Zuko handed him. A moment of silence passed between them, which was rudely interrupted by a loud _thump_, a sharp _crack_, and two surprised cries. Zuko stood immediately, pushing his chair back; it scraped against the ground loudly.

"What was that?" he said, before rushing out of the room.

Moments later, he returned with no fewer than four guards who were carrying two stretchers between them. The two little old ladies on them groaned and moaned, one clutching at her hip, the other with her hand across her forehead.

Iroh set down his cup of tea.

"Ladies, ladies, I haven't seen you in so long! Care to join me?"

He patted the mattress on both sides of him, grinning.

His only response was two identical, reproachful glares.

* * *

**Author's Notes: **Feed a starving author and leave a comment :D And for anyone who doesn't remember who Lo and Li (I think that's their full names) are, they're the two little old ladies who were overseeing Azula's training in episode 2x01. 

1/10/2007


	7. Bunny of the South – Junroh

**Armada**  
. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** I signed up for the 15-pairings challenge over at Livejournal. Anyone who's reading most of my recent fanfics knows that I've been signing up for about ten million fanfic writing communities lately. XD So yeah… another challenge for me to use to procrastinate on homework!

Anyway, this has been sitting on my hard drive for about two weeks... so I finally decided to finish it today. :P Also, the full title (which you can find below) wouldn't fit into the title bar, so I shortened it for that.

**Prompt:** #07. anger

**Ship #7**  
Junroh  
_"Dragon of the West, Bunny of the South"_

"How 'bout a little drink, eh? On me."

Jun looked over at the man who had sidled himself up to her this time and made a mental checklist of his attributes. Old – check. Wrinkly – check. Stupid grin on face – check. Drunken – most likely. Lecherous – most probably.

"No thanks, babe," she said, then downed her glass of beer and waved at the bartender for another. "I don't do old guys."

He laughed, a deep, hearty laugh that resounded through the room. He put an arm around her shoulder (she tensed up) and smirked, raising an eyebrow.

"They call me the Dragon of the West for a reason, you know," he said, then chuckled as she hastily pushed his arm off.

"Look, I don't care if they call you the Dragon of the West or the Bunny of the South. Not interested, buddy—keep this up and I'll be forced to whip your sorry ass." With that, she stood and headed for the door.

However, she never made it. Halfway to the door, the door slammed open itself, seemingly of its own volition. Framed against the night air were two figures, one shorter and stockier, the other taller and thinner. They strode into the room, the stockier one leading; he inspected the bar, glancing around with a beady eye. He strode up to the bar, and the thinner one pulled out a scroll from his bag.

"We are looking for this girl," he said, then wrinkled his nose as the smell of alcohol drifted up to him. He unfurled the scroll and showed it to the bartender, who looked at the picture of the young girl and read the description by it. He rubbed his bristly chin and shook his head.

"No, I don't think I've seen her," he said, then rolled up the scroll and handed it back to the tall and thin man. The shorter man, obviously angry, slammed his palm down on the table and frowned.

"Lies! We've had explicit, truthful information saying that she has come through this area. Now, if you value your life—" He cracked his knuckles and his neck before taking a stance and bending up the earth beneath the counter, cracking it in two down the middle, "—you'll tell me the truth."

Jun frowned and strode back to the bar and crossed her arms as she stood beside the man. "Look—if he says that the girl hasn't passed through here, then the girl hasn't passed through here. You got some wrong info, buddy—and trust me, that happens." She grimaced, then added in a low mutter, "All too often, too, those bastards."

The shorter man narrowed his eyes. "You know something about this, lady?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Listen—I'm just stating something. Doesn't mean I'm connected with whoever you're looking for." She paused. "Though, come to think of it—how big's the bounty on her head? I'll strike you a deal if it's big enough."

"So you _do_ know something," said the man, flexing.

Jun laughed. "No. I'm a bounty hunter—likely just like you. And you and I both know—we're in it for the money. Now, if you tell me a little bit about her… or, better yet, if you have a personal object of hers… I can track her down for you in no time at all."

The taller man frowned and leaned in closer to the shorter man. "Xin Fu, we _could_ use her help," he murmured. "We've been on Toph's trail for weeks and haven't found anything… and if what she says is true… well…"

The shorter man growled. "And how do you know that she's telling the truth?" he hissed. "She could easily just take the information and run. Forget it—we can do this on our own."

The taller man straightened up and crossed his arms. "We'll be wandering around for months at this rate," he said flatly.

Jun raised an eyebrow. "Well, it's no wonder you two haven't gotten anywhere—arguing like that." She laughed and tossed her hair over her shoulder. "Whatever—forget about it; I think I'd go insane if I were to spend time in the company of idiots like you. No sense of how to track down a person, honestly. I'd be more subtle if I were you."

She turned on her heel and strode back to the bar, but a hand latched onto her wrist and dragged her back before lifting her up into the air so that her toes just barely touched the ground. She found herself face-to-face again with the shorter, stockier one, whose veins were popping out of his forehead in a mixture of anger and frustration.

"Did you just call us idiots?" he hissed, and she wrinkled her nose, using her free hand to wave at the air in front of her face, fanning off the smell of his breath.

"If I'm not mistaken, yes," she said. "My, my, what a temper you have."

With a growl of frustration, he let her drop to the ground, then took an earthbending stance; the ground rumbled and shook as a boulder popped out from the dirt floor; dust flew everywhere as Jun looked up, mouth half-open. She barely had time to reach for her whip before the boulder began to drop down on her. She closed her eyes and tried to do a barrel-roll to safety, but instead of hearing the sound of rock meeting rock behind her, she heard the sound of the rock splintering through the door and landing a distance away. She looked up and saw the figure of the old man, a clear path to the wrecked door frame before her, dust rising from his foot.

"I'll repair that," he said, turning back to look at the bartender with an apologetic look on his face. Then, he turned back to look at the two men, a fiercer look on his face. "Now, I would advise you to stop treating women in this way. Women should be treated with respect, not force."

"Listen, I don't need your help," Jun hissed, standing up and dusting herself off. "I can handle myself perfectly well, thank you very much."

He shook his head, then smiled. "Now, how about that demonstration of why I'm called the Dragon of the West, eh?"

She rolled her eyes. "I told you—I don't care."

He, however, wasn't listening. He turned back to the men, smiling. "Now, why don't we take this outside? We've damaged this poor bar enough already." His smile widened. "Unless, of course, you don't wish to fight?"

The stockier man cracked his knuckles. "You've got a challenge."

With that, he turned on his heels and strode outside to the wide-open plaza. The taller man followed him hesitantly as the old man continued behind them, a little bounce in his step. They stood across from each other, an expanse of colored tiles between them. The old man took a deep breath and closed his eyes, then readied his stance.

"Don't pass out, old man," said the stockier man, who quickly assumed an earthbending stance and pulled out jagged spikes of earth from the ground, then launched them at the old man. The old man released the breath, then snapped his eyes open and opened his mouth, unleashing a massive wave of fire that made even her, standing quite a distance away, wince and recoil from the heat. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to be up against him—even from this distance, watching him was like watching a vengeful god, breathing out fire to destroy treacherous, faithless humans.

The stockier earthbender had managed to create a wall of earth, which he now allowed to crumble, at the last moment. He was breathing heavily, and his hair and clothing were scorched. His skin looked a bit redder than before, but it didn't look burnt. He frowned, then clenched his fists and turned on his heel.

"Come on," he said, waving to the taller man. "We don't have time to waste here."

With that, the two of them strode off, the taller one looking shaken, the shorter one swaggering much less in his walk. The old man took in another deep breath and exhaled it, lowering his hands and smiling as the twinkle in his eye returned. He strode back into the bar, where Jun stood, raising an eyebrow.

"Quite an impressive display, Mr. Dragon of the West," she said, and smirked.

He grinned. "Now, dear, I _could_ be your Bunny of the South, if you so wish…" he said, waggling his eyebrows. Now both of her eyebrows were raised.

"And you're willing to show me a demonstration?" she said, looking him up and down and self-consciously crossing her arms over her bosom.

"Would you like one?" he said, his grin widening.

Disgusted, Jun slapped him across the face.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Lol, I was aiming for a different ending, but this is how Jun showed herself :P Junroh has always amused me. Anyway, leave me some feedback! I'd love to know what you think. 

_2/24/2006_


	8. Anniversary – Zutara

**Armada**  
. helium lost .

**Author's Notes:** 8D I originally had just the first drabble written, but I felt that that was a bit too short, so I added the second one… which… exploded. It wasn't meant to be so long. XD So you get two Zutara drabbles for the price of one, oh joy!

And the reason for Zutara is that I want to warm myself up for writing the next chap of _Chiaroscuro_, which is long overdue. D:

**Prompt:** #10. "Don't forget!"

**Ship #8**  
Zutara  
_"Anniversary"_

"Don't forget," Katara says, frowning, "you killed my people; you destroyed my kingdoms; and you stalked and harassed my friends."

Fire Lord Zuko raises his eyebrows. "I've poured in countless amounts of money to help you rebuild your kingdoms, and I'm sure you'll agree that they're flourishing; the Avatar is alive and well, going about with his 'fighting injustice' business; and, well..." He pauses, then says in a rush of words, "I can always help you make new people. If you know what I mean."

Katara's mouth is half-open as her hand twitches, and she doesn't know whether to slap him or to kiss him.

So she does both.

* * *

"Don't forget," Katara says with a soft smile on her face, "Tomorrow is our anniversary. Ten years since we first met, and five since we got married. I've already got you something; I hope you like it." 

"Oh, shit," Zuko says, rolling over and untangling himself from the blankets. Katara's mouth drops open in indignation.

"You _didn't_!" she says, harassed. Zuko looks about shiftily before he jumps out of bed and tosses on his robes. "And where do you think you're going?"

"Erm… Important treaties to negotiate. Important import taxes to discuss. And, um, the turtle-ducks need to be fed."

With that, he dashes out of the room, leaving Katara speechless with the blankets still wrapped around her naked torso.

·

The next morning, Katara wakes up to find herself in a strange darkness. It takes her a couple moments to register the fact that she is blindfolded. Her hands reach up to untie the knot at the back of her head, but before they even get halfway there, she feels Zuko's hands clasping her wrists together and lowering them.

"What the hell, Zuko?" she says, protesting. "I didn't know you were into this kind of stuff."

"Shh," he whispers, and she can almost hear him blush. "Come on."

He pulls her out of bed, but she pulls back.

"At least let me get _dressed_," she says grumpily. She hears him sigh impatiently, and immediately she feels him pull a robe onto her.

"All right, you're dressed," he says and tugs her wrist. "Let's go."

"Where are we going?" she asks as he pulls her through the hallways. "You're more hyper than Aang when he wanted to go penguin-sledding."

"It's a secret," he replies, and Katara rolls her eyes.

"You were never good at keeping secrets, you know."

"Shh."

He leads her through the twisting halls, leads her down the stairs, and her face is hit by the cool morning air as they exit the royal palace. Their footsteps are muffled by the dewy grass as they trample across the grounds; she can smell the water of the lake and can almost see the beautiful trees surrounding it.

"Zuko, if this is about your beloved turtle-ducks, I told you, I've already _seen_ the chicks," she says, annoyed, and his only reply is to pull her along faster. A look of shock comes over her face as they descend stairs that she swears weren't there earlier. The smell of damp dirt surrounds her as her feet are greeted with the familiar feel of hard dirt. They finally come to a stop a few steps later, and she feels Zuko's hands reach around behind her head and pull off her blindfold.

"Did you really think that I forgot? You know I hate talking about treaties… Well, in any case, happy anniversary," he says, smiling, as she looks around in awe. They are standing in an underground room, and all four walls are transparent. She can see perfectly the koi fish swimming around in the clear waters, and as she looks up through the transparent ceiling, she can see the bottoms of the turtle-ducks paddling away peacefully above. Sunlight streams in through the watery surface and is broken into brilliant fragments that dot the room with gold.

"How did you…?"

Zuko smiles. "Remember that one time when we were going through that desert? Thought it would be a nice vacation, but like hell it was? And I got really angry at something for some reason, and, to put things briefly, we were lucky we weren't near a forest, or else I would've started a forest fire that would've burned for days? And how the sand around me melted and became clear glass? Well, I figured that I could make flat panes… and they could act as windows… or walls. And I had to get another waterbender to come in and open up the lake so that I could put them in, and I even had Toph come by to make the chamber itself."

Katara stands, flabbergasted, and Zuko laughs as he leads her to the table in the middle of the room that she hadn't noticed before. He seats her at one end as he himself sits at the other. Without any flourish, he pulls the lid off of the center platter to reveal a steaming dish.

"Roast duck, Katara?"

"S… Sure," she says, still amazed, and he lades her plate with food. She picks up her chopsticks and awkwardly takes bites out of her food, missing every once in a while as she follows a particular fish, and as Zuko looks at her face, smeared with sauce, he can't help but think that he is married to the most beautiful woman in the world.

* * *

**Author's Notes:** Eurgh, they were slightly OOC, weren't they D: Darn future!Zutara.

_4/7/2006_


End file.
